Ch.39
As time passed our first year ended at U.A. The final test for our first year was a lot like the entrance exam, we had a written portion about all the laws and other subjects we covered. The practical exam was an individual test that meant testing our progress with our quirks and how far we came since joining the school. I easily passed the written exam as my memory seems to be perfect, while the practical exam I passed as well. Though that was easy too since even though it seemed I didn't improve my quirk all that much, my power was too strong to deny me.
Our entire class got the 'ok' from Gran Torino and has successfully moved on to our second year. Gran Torino will be our homeroom teacher for our entire time in U.A. and that means it is at his approval among other things if we can move on to the second and third years while remaining in the hero program. Rumi and my relationship have not moved on yet past 'third' base as some would say.
Once summer hit, I was unsure what to do with myself as Gran Torino said he trained me as best he could. My Uncle said he'd help train me in his spare time, so most of my time at the beginning of summer was taken up by either training with or without my Uncle, hanging out with my group of friends, or going on dates with Rumi. Then one day on my rest day which is one day a week that I just relax at home, but most times Rumi comes over. I heard someone knock on my front door just as I was cooking breakfast, I assumed it was either Rumi or Shota as he stops by just to get away from his nagging parents so he says.
"Cathy?" I say as I answer the door and see my cousin standing in the doorway with some bags. She just walks inside I stared shocked seeing her here randomly.
"What's up Akihiko? Oh, don't be so surprised if I didn't show up randomly you'd never have invited me. But really how've you been holding up? You never really call us anymore and I can't tell what you are feeling through texts," Cathy says to me after entering my home and placing her bags down, and looking at me with some concern in her eyes.
She has changed in the last two years since I've seen her, we are both sixteen now. Though she has grown to be very tall just shorter than me though she stands at 6'4" (193cm), I've stopped growing too now it seems to reach 6'6" (198cm), our family is all very tall. Not only that but like me she has gotten much more muscular and she has grown to be very womanly is all I can say as her assets match her body type. Though the only thing that remained the same about her is the blonde hair that she dyed years ago.
"I've been fine. Though you've certainly grown up," I say with an indifferent shrug and laugh at the end seeing her change. Though I can tell she doesn't believe me when I said I'm fine.
"I could say the same about you too! You've certainly grown into a man!" Cathy says with a chuckle after looking at me judging if I'm really 'fine'.
I show her to the guest room, I've left my parent's room untouched all these years since going inside it makes me very upset. Then she comes downstairs as I finish making breakfast now for more people. We catch up over breakfast and she tells me she joined National Hero Academy in the US, better known as NHA. Then Rumi entered the house as Cathy and I are catching up, I gave Rumi a spare key a while ago since she comes over so much. I also gave spare keys to my best friends Shota, Hizashi, and Nemuri.
"Akihiko! What'd you make?! Can I have some too?!" Rumi says after entering my home and smelling the breakfast Cathy and I are talking with one another. Then she walks in and sees Cathy and me at the table eating. Rumi seems to try to process this information, as the confusion goes on her face and then anger.
'Oh shit!' I think remembering Rumi can be a very jealous individual and jumps to physical fights with women who stare at me lustfully. Though I kinda feel the same way when guys look at Rumi.
"Akihiko, who is this?" Rumi says with gritted teeth while looking at Cathy with a deadly glare, Cathy seems to smile at her threatening look.
"You bagged a fun one Akihiko... I like her," Cathy says with a chuckle and then laughs harder when Rumi looks like she is about to punch her. Though Rumi is surprisingly restrained, that can only be because she wants to be a hero and heroes don't go around beating people up just because they don't like them. That's what Rumi told me a while ago when I first saw her look at a girl with a promise of pain in school checking me out.
"Rumi, this is my cousin Cathy. Cathy this is my girlfriend Rumi," I say standing up and looking between them Cathy laughs off Rumi's aggressive look, while Rumi relaxes once hearing she is my cousin.
"Oh! Yeah, she does kinda share some similarities with you," Rumi says with a sideways glance and her anger disappeared like it wasn't even there, to begin with.
The two then sat down and talked getting to know each other better. As now I'm making even more food now that Rumi is here. Just as I finished serving Rumi food, the front door opens again and Shota walks in.
"Oh, hey Cathy been a while how've you been?" Shota says once he enters and sees Cathy sitting down with Rumi at my table.
"Oh if it isn't emo Shota! You haven't changed a day!" Cathy says standing up and hugging Shota as he grumbles about the nickname. Though it is funny seeing Shota be picked up by a much larger girl and hugged.
"OK! Enough!" Shota says pushing her off of him and sitting down at the table.
"Want some food?" I ask with a sigh as now Shota is here too for some reason.
"Sure, thanks," Shota says with a nod as I go back to cook more. The three then begin to talk as I cook in the kitchen this time I make more food than I think all of us could eat as now I'm annoyed for having to cook for the third time.
"Yo! Miss me?!" I hear Hizashi says as he now too enters the house with Nemuri too.
'Thank god I cooked enough,' I think to myself as apparently almost everyone I know has come over and is now eating at my table.
"Ok now, can someone tell me why you all showed up for some reason today?!" I say once I finally can sit down to eat.
"Cathy invited us over, she said she was surprise visiting you. Then we told Rumi to come over too," Hizashi says with a shrug while stuffing his face with the pancakes I made.
"But you didn't tell Rumi about my cousin?" I say remembering their interaction with one another.
"Nah! Thought it would be funnier that way, we just told her to surprise you in the morning!" Hizashi says with a laugh while I just sigh and Rumi gives me an embarrassed smile.
"Fuck you all," I say with a tired sigh.
The rest of the day we all hang out and caught up with Cathy, while Cathy explained to us how the hero school worked in the US. There seem to be a lot of similarities, though the only real difference is that the US hero school doesn't make their students study under a hero agency in their third year. Their third year is more dedicated to making a name for themselves so that when they graduate they can become a sidekick easier. We told her this coming year we'd be getting our provisional license and then working alongside heroes once for a few months afterward. That seems to be the same case for her as well in her coming year.
Cathy would stay for a month here before going back home. Cathy then joined me in my exercises every morning. Today too we would meet Rumi at her city to spar, but arriving I decided to let the two of them spar instead first. Rumi and Cathy were very excited at the thought and once we entered the gym at Rumi's city the two stood at opposite ends of each other in the private training room. I was going to be the judge of the fight.
"Now I know she is your girlfriend, but try to judge the fight fairly," Cathy says with a laugh as the two stares down one another.
"Akihiko doesn't hold back even when we fight," Rumi says defending me, but at the same time, it sounds like I beat her up. I just sigh and motion for them to start.
I noticed Cathy has her quirk constantly activated making her super enhanced to match the same level as Rumi who seems just as strong as my Uncle at his current strength. His strength has been reduced a lot since his injury from All For One, I've considered trying to heal him with my flames, but a small part of me blames him for my parent's death and wants him to have that injury as a reminder of his failure. Just like I assume my scar is a reminder of that moment too.
Both launch themselves at each other trading blow after blow. I can tell neither is holding back as he landed hit can be heard as the sound reverberates throughout the room. They both seem to be equal in martial experience and land just a few blows on one another. This head to head beatdown seems to go on for a few minutes until Rumi backs off and begins to launch herself around the room trying to confuse Cathy. Cathy stands in the middle of the room with her guard up waiting for Rumi to strike. I noticed Cathy touch herself while muttering something.
Once Rumi launched herself at Cathy from behind to land an overhead axe kick at her. Cathy reacted at the last second to block the attack which she did successfully. Seems she made herself much more durable but slower, so she can land any hits on Rumi now but is tanking everything from her. Cathy is wanting to play a game of attrition and Rumi has great endurance but Cathy's durability seems to be much higher than Rumi's current endurance. Cathy is declared the winner when Rumi says she gives up after an hour of her jumping around and landing hits on Cathy who remains unphased.
"Why is your family so fucking strong?!" Rumi says to me with a tired and annoyed voice while taking deep breaths from pushing herself to the limit. Cathy and I just chuckle while shrugging.
"How'd you become so durable? It's almost like when I land my few strikes on Akihiko, a fucking steel wall, and yet those are not even as durable as him it seems," Rumi says after sitting down and catching her breath.
"My quirk lets me change the attributes of objects and people to a certain degree. I exchanged my speed for super enhanced durability," Cathy says with a shrug and returning to her 'normal' state.
"That sounds like a crazy versatile and powerful quirk!" Rumi says with surprise hearing Cathy's quirk. Cathy just nods her head agreeing with Rumi, showing no signs of humility.
I use my fire to reenergize Rumi and heal the few bruises that she got from Cathy. Cathy looks at this surprised as she has seen my fire healing someone yet. Rumi smiles at me and stands up kissing me as thanks.
"Seems like my quirk isn't the only versatile one," Cathy says while giving me a look waiting for an explanation. I shrug and explain to her what I know about my quirk so far and the changes since we've last seen one another.
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AN: I know that the first year at U.A. ended quickly, maybe for some people. But there is not much I would assume they cover in the normal first year since there were no extraordinary events to make the school push up some things. The second and third years at U.A. will be much more eventful as that is when they work with their licenses.